ROUTE IF POSSIBLE. WE, OF COURSE, WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THAT FOR YOU.
>> AND NOW SUMMER TRAVEL. THE
SEASONS UNDERWAY IN AIRPORTS
ARE ALREADY FEELING THE STRAIN
OF STAFFING SHORTAGES, DELAYS
CANCELLATIONS. A LIVE LOOK FOR
YOU NOW. JACKSONVILLE’S
AIRPORT FROM OUR SKY CAM
FLIGHT TRACKING WEBSITE.
FLIGHTAWARE SHOWS 17
CANCELLATIONS AT J X TODAY.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS MISERY
MAP. THAT’S A
>> PRETTY GOOD AMOUNT OF RED
ON THERE. THE FAA IS NOW
TAKING STEPS TO EASE THE
BURDEN OF AIR TRAFFIC NEWS. 4
JAX REPORTER JOE MCLEAN IS
LIVE AT THE AIRPORT WITH HOW
FEDERAL REGULATORS ARE
REACTING TO THE SUMMER TRAVEL
SPIKED AND HOW PASSENGERS ARE
REACTING TO THE DELAYS. JUST.
>> YEAH, THE FDA, THE FAA SAYS
THAT THE AIRLINES RIGHT NOW
ARE CARRYING.
>> THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF
PASSENGERS SINCE THE BEGINNING
OF 2020 SINCE THE PANDEMIC
STARTED. BUT TRAFFIC JAM
ISSUES ARE NOT ONLY CAUSED BY
THE NUMBER OF PASSENGERS IN
THE SKY. IT’S ALSO BEING
CAUSED BY WHERE ALL THAT AIR
TRAFFIC IS HAPPENING.
>> SUMMER TRAVEL SEASON IS
CROWDING THE SKIES ONCE AGAIN,
WE LANDED AT 4 A 03:00AM.
>> AND IT WAS CLUTTERED AND
THERE WAS ALMOST NO WEAR TO
WALK BY 4.
>> WITH THE BIGGEST TRAFFIC
JAM NOW HAPPENING IN FLORIDA.
THE FAA SAYS FLIGHTS ARE UP
150 TO 170% AT SOME AIRPORTS
IN THE SUNSHINE STATE. THIS
MAP SHOWS THE DIFFERENT AIR
TRAFFIC ZONES ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. THE DARKER ONES ARE
HANDLING THE HEAVIEST AIR
TRAFFIC FROM 2016 TO THIS
YEAR. YOU CAN SEE THE MASSIVE
SHIFT IN WHERE FLIGHTS ARE
HAPPENING. THE JACKSONVILLE
AREA IS NOW ONE OF THE BUSIEST
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY. IT’S RUN
OUT OF THE JACKSONVILLE AIR
ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER
IN HILLIARD. AND BECAUSE OF
THE HUGE SHIFT IN DEMAND TO
THIS AREA, THE FAA ANNOUNCED
IN MAY THAT IT WOULD BE ADDING
AT LEAST 30 AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS TO THIS CENTER
THAT MAY ALLEVIATE SOME OF THE
FLIGHT DELAYS AT FLORIDA.
AIRPORTS HAVE BEEN SEEING,
ACCORDING TO FEDERAL DATA,
ABOUT 37% OF DELAYS AT ARE DUE
TO PROBLEMS WITH THE PLANE’S
EQUIPMENT CREW OR REFUELING.
ABOUT 28% OF DELAYS ARE CAUSED
BY A LATE ARRIVING PLANE.
ANOTHER 24% ARE ISSUES WITH
THE NATIONAL AVIATION SYSTEM.
WEATHER CANCELLATIONS,
DIVERSIONS AND SECURITY DELAYS
MAKE UP THE REMAINING 11%. A
NATIONWIDE SHORTAGE OF AIRLINE
PILOTS AND AN INCREASE IN
MILITARY AND SPACE LAUNCHES
ARE ALL PUTTING EVEN MORE
PRESSURE ON THE AIR TRAFFIC IN
THIS AREA. SOME JX PASSENGERS
WE SPOKE TO DID SEE SOME MINOR
DELAYS. MOST OF OUR TROOPS ARE
ON TIME. THE FIRST PLANE WAS
DELAYED A LITTLE ABOUT IT. AND
SOME OFFERED THIS ADVICE FOR
SUMMER BY SAYING WANT BE ON
TIME AND DON’T, YOU KNOW,
DON’T BE LATE.
>> THAT MAY SOUND LIKE OBVIOUS
OR CLOSE SHAVE ICE, BUT IT’S
ACTUALLY THE SAME TIP THAT WE
GOT FROM SPOKESPERSON FROM THE
JACKSONVILLE AVIATION
AUTHORITY. HE SAID DURING THE
SUMMER RUSH OF TRAVEL SEASON,
HE SAID IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO
PLAN EXTRA TIME TO PLAN TO
ARRIVE AT THE AIRPORT EXTRA
EARLY TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT
SUMMER RUSH. HE ALSO SAID
DURING THE SUMMER TRAVEL
SEASON, IT’S A GOOD IDEA TO
CALL CHECK WITH YOUR AIRLINE
BEFORE YOU LEAVE FOR THE
AIRPORT, EVEN IF WHETHER
YOU’RE TRAVELING OR JUST
PICKING SOMEONE UP FOR THE
AIRPORT. CHECK WITH THE
AIRLINE TO MAKE SURE THAT
THERE ARE NO CANCELLATIONS,
CHANGES OR DELAYS. REPORTING
LIVE IN JOE MCLEAN, CHANNEL 4,
THE LOCAL STATION.
>> SO JOY MENTIONED EVERY TIME
THERE’S A DELAY, IT COSTS
MONEY. EVERY FOUND ANY
INFORMATION ABOUT HOW MUCH
THAT THIS IS COSTING.
>> RIGHT. THE FAA TRACKS OF
BOTH THE DIRECT COSTS AND ALSO
THE INDIRECT COSTS. THE FAA
DATA SHOWS THAT DELAYS IN
AIRPORTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
COST ROUGHLY 23 BILLION
DOLLARS WORTH OF LOSSES IN
2016. NOW IN 2019, WHICH IS
THE MOST RECENT DATA WE HAVE
THAT ONE UP TO 33 BILLION
DOLLARS. AND OF COURSE, WE
KNOW FLIGHTS ARE NOW BACK TO